Hidden Love
by fictionalnightmare
Summary: Natsu and Lucy both have hidden feelings for one another. With the annual Wizards Ball coming up both Mages hope to bring the other as a date. (One-Shot)


Hidden Love

Natsu

I couldn't exactly pinpoint when I started having feelings for Lucy. It just…happened. I've never liked anyone before, so when I started having those feelings I had no idea what was going on. At first, I thought I was getting sick, but then I realized I only got that ache in my chest and the butterflies in my stomach when I was around Lucy. I felt that the option of confronting Lucy about it would have me receiving a kick in the face, so I decided to figure it out on my own. My first idea was that she was probably wearing some new perfume. Since my sense of smell was stronger it might have been affecting me more than others. While she was at the guild I went into her apartment and sniffed her perfumes. None of them made me receive those foreign feelings. After trying so many things I accepted my defeat. As the weeks went on those odd feelings grew stronger.

As a last resort I confided in the person I normally wouldn't confess these things too: Gray. We sat in a booth in the back of the guild where no one would hear us. After his ten minute laughing fit at my cluelessness and me punching him in the face, he finally told me what was happening. I was in love with Lucy.

"What do you mean I'm in love with Lucy?" I asked him quizzically. I loved everyone in Fairy Tail; they were my family.

"I mean flame-head, that you have romantic feelings for her." Gray leaned back in his chair and looked at me. "I saw it coming to be honest."

"Really?"

"Well, duh. You guys are basically always together. Heck, you even sleep in her bed most nights! Hearing that you're now feeling this way is odd."

"Well, what do I do then? How does this…love thing work?"

Gray chuckled. "First, you should find out if Lucy feels the same way. You shouldn't directly ask her. Knowing Lucy, she would freak out and probably kick you in the face."

"Then how do I find out without asking her up front?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Maybe you can casually ask her if she likes anyone. You know, there is that Wizards Ball coming up. You can ask her if she has anyone in mind."

The thought of Lucy answering that question with another man's name made my stomach churn and my blood boil. I remember when we went on that job about a year ago to capture the criminal Velveno. After everything had been cleared up Happy and I had chowed down the buffet and then I went to tell Lucy I was going to sit down somewhere. I went over to her and when she turned around to look at me I was taken away by her beauty. The light was hitting her just right and it made her bright, blonde hair glow. She was an angel. I stumbled over my words as I debated asking her to dance. I decided against it and told her I was full and going to lie down. She sighed and then grabbed my hands with a smile and asked me to dance. She dragged me unto one of the floating platforms. My motion sickness and full belly were a bad combination, so the moment didn't go so well.

"Hey, flame-head snap back into reality." Gray's voice broke through my reminiscing. "Lucy's at the bar."

"What?" I turn and see her sitting on a stool talking to Mirajane and Levy. She laughs and takes a drink from her mug. Lucy wasn't really a drinker so I knew it was probably soda or water in there.

"Go over and talk to her."

"Are you kidding me!? I can't talk about the ball in front of Levy and certainly not Mirajane." I get up. "I think I'm just going to go for a walk and think this over." Gray nods and then I walk away. I'm just walking out the guild doors when I hear familiar footsteps behind me.

"Natsu!" Lucy's cheerful voice calls. I look over my shoulder and she stands behind me. "You're leaving the guild pretty early. Where are you headed?"

"Eh, I just felt like going for a walk."

"Can I join you?"

"Sure."

We walked down the road in a random direction in silence. The sun is setting and the sky is a brilliant mix of pinks, oranges, and light blues. The orange reminds me of fire which reminds me of Igneel. I wish he were here right now. I could ask him about this whole situation with Lucy. Igneel would probably tell me to just come right out and ask Lucy to the ball. I also have to think of Lucy's reactions though. I'm not sure how she would feel if I come right out and say it. I have to ease into this.

"So, are you planning on going to the ball?" I ask her. She looks at me and then shrugs.

"I might. I'm not sure yet. It would give me an excuse to go dress shopping with Levy." She smiles a little. "Why, are you?"

"Probably. Happy wants to take Carla and he's been trying to convince me to go."

"It's sweet Happy wants to take Carla. Is there anyone you want to take Natsu?" I freeze. Should I say it? Should I ask her? The words form on the tip of my tongue, but when I open my mouth to talk something completely different escapes.

"Not really. I'll probably just go with friends." I glance away and look at the river. I realize we're actually on the path to Lucy's house now. When did that happen?

"Oh." I sense a bit of disappointment in her tone but I shrug it off before I can think it means more than it does. "What about Lisanna?"

"What about her?"

Lucy shrugged and crossed her arms. "You both are really good friends and I heard she even talked about marrying you when you were little. She might like you."

Lisanna and I together? I couldn't wrap my head around it. Sure she joked around about getting married one day, but I never took it seriously. Besides, I think she's totally after Laxus. "Nah, I don't think she feels that way and neither do I." I looked over at her. "Are you thinking about asking someone?"

Her face turned pink and she looked away. "Um...maybe. I'm not sure yet." My heart sank and I wondered who she was considering. Is it someone at the guild or someone new? I don't know if I could handle one of my guild-mates taking Lucy to the ball. If it was someone new I worried if they could be trusted. What if they were a murderer or something? _Get a hold of yourself Natsu. _

"Well, I think any guy would be lucky to take you, Luce." I replied a bit shyly. I tilted my face upwards and looked at the sky. The sun had set, stars dotted the dark sky, and the moon shined down onto the river. Ripples in the water disrupted the reflection.

"Thanks, Natsu." Lucy's voice was soft and I looked at her from the corner of my eye. She was also looking up at the sky.

We finally reached her apartment and stood outside of the front door. I rubbed the back of my neck. "Well, I should be heading home. Happy is probably wondering where I am. Goodnight night, Lucy."

She opened her mouth and looked like she wanted to say something, closed it, and then gave me a small smile. "Goodnight, Natsu. See you tomorrow." She unlocked the door and went inside. I sighed and then headed home.

Normally I would have stayed with Lucy, her bed was so comfortable, but I didn't feel up to it tonight. As I expected Happy was waiting for me when I got home. My blue, exceed (A cat from the alternate world Edolas and can sprout wings) sat in my hammock nibbling on a fish. When he saw me come through the door his face brightened and he sprouted his wings and flew over to me.

"Natsu!" He drew out my name a bit longer than necessary. "I didn't see you at the guild and everyone said you were with Lucy. Where did you guys go and why didn't you take me?" He pouted.

"I just walked Lucy home that's all." I patted his head and smiled. "Where were you all day buddy?"

"I was with Carla and Wendy. Wendy found a simple job in town helping out a guy at his shop and she invited me along."

"That was nice of you to help." I walked across the room and opened the cupboards and rummaged through them to see what food we had. All I could find was an empty box of crackers, some nuts, and a banana. I threw out the empty box and peeled the banana. Mental note: Ask Lucy to take me grocery shopping. Since me and Happy usually stayed at Lucy's we never go shopping much, but I've been spending a lot of time here since I realized my affections for her.

"Natsu, did you decide about the ball yet?" Happy questioned. I glanced back at him and he was sitting in the hammock again. He ate the last piece of meat from the fish and threw the bones in the trash can.

"Not yet." I took a bite of the banana and sat down in a chair.

"You should go. Everyone at the guild is going and so should you. There's going to be a free buffet!" Happy added with a joyful smile. I knew happy has been worried about me lately. I haven't told him about what's been going on. That cat was just as bad as Mira when it came to this stuff. He probably just wanted me to have some fun. I grinned. "In that case, I'm totally in."

"That's the spirit!" He pondered something for a moment. "First, you need to get a suit. Or at least some dress clothes. It is a ball of course."

I grimaced. I hated getting dressed up. "Fine, we can go shopping tomorrow." I ate the last of the banana and threw the peel away. I got into the hammock and Happy lied down beside me. "Goodnight, Happy."

"Night, Natsu." Happy yawned, turned onto his side, and quickly fell asleep. I sighed and stared up at the ceiling. I remember falling asleep with thoughts of Lucy on my mind.

Lucy

After such a long day it was nice to just relax in a nice, hot bath. I dunked my head under then came up and pushed my hair back. I worked in some shampoo, rinsed, then got out. A few stray bubbles clung to my skin, but I didn't care. I grabbed a towel, wrung out my wet hair, and then wrapped it around me. I sighed. The bath also helped relieve some of my stress over this ball. When Natsu asked about the ball I really thought he was going to ask me. I had been upset when he didn't. _You should have just asked him yourself, _I thought to myself. I shook my head. It was more romantic for the guy to ask the girl. Besides, I wasn't even sure if Natsu felt that way about me. I don't know if I could handle his rejection.

I changed into my night clothes, combed my hair, and then crawled into bed. I remember the day I realized I loved Natsu. For the past few months I already knew I was starting to feel something for him. The day I was sick, though, and wasn't able to see the Rainbow Sakura. I was really upset about because I had been looking forward to it so much. Natsu and Happy had dug out one of the trees in the park, placed it on a boat, and sailed it through the river by my house. I knew it had been them. It was something Natsu would do. It was so sweet and thoughtful of him. In that moment I knew how I felt. Natsu could be really dense when it comes to romance, but I felt he wasn't as clueless as everyone thought. I rolled over a bit onto my side and noticed this side of the bed was pretty cold. Natsu hasn't been sleeping here lately. Usually I freak out and kick his and Happy's butts, but I actually missed their presence. With them here I felt safer. Natsu can take anyone down. He was a dragon slayer, the salamander, and the strongest person I knew. I closed my eyes and quickly fell asleep.

"Oh, Lu-Chan, It's beautiful! Natsu won't be able to keep his eyes off you." My best friend Levy McGarden winked at me. I giggled. We were couldn't dress shopping at a store in town. It was the third one we went to and we saw a lot more dresses here we liked. The one I had on now was a brilliant, dark red, floor length ball gown that stood out quite well with my skin and blonde hair. It was strapless and hugged my waist comfortably before flowing outwards into a tiered skirt. It had a simple swirl design on the left side made out of a slightly lighter shade of red beads. It was beautiful and I knew Levy was right; this dress will definitely stop Natsu in his tracks. Plus, it was red like Natsu's flames.

I grinned. "This is _the _dress. I'm definitely getting it." I looked at Levy. She had a few dresses on some hangers. "Did you find anything yet?" She shook her head.

"Not yet. I'm going to try on these two. I have a good feeling that one of these has to be it." I could tell she was determined. She really wanted to impress Gajeel. He was the iron dragon slayer in our guild. Levy and he were dating after Gajeel finally got the guts to ask her out. Gajeel was the quiet, 'I don't care about anything' type. Even though they were already together and I could tell he really cared about Levy she still wanted to impress him. Levy rushed into the changing room. I heard her make a noise which I assumed meant a 'no way' and saw the dress be slung over the door.

I giggled and went into the next changing room to get out of the dress. I changed back into my regular clothes and placed the dress back on its hanger. The lady who worked here was standing there when I came out.

"Did you ladies find something you like?" She gave me a warm smile. I nodded and held up the dress.

"I really love this one."

"What an excellent choice. I'll go and bag it up for you." She held out her hand and I gave her the dress and she walked away.

"What do you think Lu-Chan?" I turned and gasped when I saw Levy. Her ball gown was a mix of light and dark purple. The bodice was a light shade with sparkly, white snowflake patterns dotting the top and bottom hems. There was a slightly darker, small, short sleeved cover that barely touched her mid back and left the front open. Beneath the bodice a flow of dark purple ripples came down and around the dress leaving a triangle shape in the front on the skirt. In the triangle was the light purple with more snowflake shapes. It was gorgeous and really fit her.

"Levy, it's gorgeous! Gajeel is going to be speechless!" We both giggled and then purchased our dresses. After leaving the store we walked down the streets happily as we carried our bags.

"So you haven't asked Natsu yet?" Levy asked me.

I sighed. "No. I really want him to ask me."

She looked at me sympathetically. "Don't worry Lucy, when he sees you at the ball he will definitely ask you to dance."

"Remind not to go on those floating platforms with him again." I laughed and so did she.

The Day of the Ball

Lucy

It was six-thirty in the evening and all the girls in the guild were rushing around like crazy. All the girls decided to meet at Fairy Hills Dorms (An all-girls dorm where a lot of members of the guild stay) to get ready. People were rushing into one room and then another looking for certain items. I was in Levy's room with Erza and Juvia. Erza was going with Jellal. He's a criminal of the Magic Council, but he's actually a good guy. It's a lot to explain. He's secretly coming tonight. I'm glad he is because Erza has been so happy the past few days because of it. She denies it, but we all know she likes him. Juvia is going with Gray. She is completely obsessed with him and he always turns her down. Everyone, even Juvia, was shocked when he asked her. Juvia was putting the final touches on my hair and gave me a smile when she was done.

I smiled. "Thank you, Juvia. It's beautiful."

"You're welcome Lucy. Just don't make a play for Gray-Sama." She gave me a glare. I rolled my eyes. "Don't worry." Juvia considers me a love rival even though Gray and I have no feelings for one another.

I looked in the mirror and my blonde hair was in perfect loose curls. I slipped into my dress and then put on my red heels.

"Is everyone ready?" Erza called down the hallway. A bunch of yeses were yelled back and we all were on our way. Erza had ordered the four of us a carriage. I smoothed down my dress to casually check to see if my keys were there. I had strapped them onto my thigh, I know I did, but it didn't hurt to double check. All the wizards in Magnolia gathered in one place was the perfect time for the enemy to strike. The Magic Council was also on guard outside. Erza was chewing her lip nervously because of it.

I placed my hand over hers and gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry Erza do you really think Meldy and Ultear would let him come if they think he couldn't handle it?"

She sighed. "You're right Lucy. This is a special night and I can't let it go to waste being on alert."

Juiva was also fidgeting in her seat. "Juvia is nervous as well. What if Gray-Sama doesn't really like Juvia?"

"Hey, Gray may not respond to your feelings, but I know he wouldn't ask a girl to a dance for no reason. Maybe he is finally willing to give you a chance." Levy spoke up.

Juvia gave her a small smile. "Thank you, Levy. Gajeel is lucky to have you." Levy's face turned pink and she looked down in embarrassment.

"Lucy, how is the whole Natsu situation going?" I looked up at Erza.

"Horrible. I really thought he was going to ask me the other night but he never did." My shoulders slumped. "Maybe he really doesn't like me. He was interested in who I was going to the ball with though."

"He was?" She replied.

I nodded.

"Huh."

Natsu

"Hey, flame-head, did you ask Lucy?" I turned and saw Gray walk up to me. I set down my glass of juice and shook my head.

"Nope. Before you say it, I know, I'm an idiot." I twirled my finger around the rim of the glass. "She probably has a date now."

"I don't think she does. It's too late to ask her, but you can still ask her to dance." He suggested. He grabbed a glace and poured himself some punch. "Dang, I wish the girls would hurry up."

"Oh yeah, I heard you asked Juvia."

He nodded. "I thought I'd finally give her a shot. I remembered Erza talking to me at the Grand Magic Games and giving her a clear response. I told her I didn't feel the same, but it's been almost a year now and she's still trying and you know what, I've never actually been out with her. It's time I give her a chance before shutting her down." He took a sip of his drink before setting down the glass. "Oh, they're here. Are you coming?"

"Sure." I adjusted my scarf (It was something Igneel gave me before he left) and made sure my suit looked okay. Happy and I had gone shopping yesterday. It was white with a light gray undershirt. It was something similar to what I wore during the Grand Magic Games during Mira and Jenny's battle. I had included a dark red tie though. It reminded me of Igneel's scales. I followed Gray to the doors where Erza, Juvia, Levy, and Lucy stood. They all looked amazing. When my gaze landed on Lucy I froze. She was…gorgeous. Her dress was amazing and fit her perfectly and her hair was down for a change.

Gray went to Juvia and gave her a nice smile before escorting her to the buffet. Gajeel came next to greet Levy. He couldn't keep his eyes off the blushing girl. Just as I went up to Lucy a mysterious guy went to Erza. I knew who it was by his smell.

"Erza." He offered her his hand and a smile and she smiled back before taking his hand. He kissed it and led her off.

"Natsu…wow. You look great dressed up." Her eyes grazed over me before meeting mine.

"You look good too, Lucy. You look more than good actually, beautiful." Her cheeks flushed a bit.

"Who are you here with?" She asked me.

"No one." I hesitated before asking: "Would you like to be my date?" I was expecting a rejection, so I was surprised when she said yes.

"I'd love to." She smiled. I blushed a bit and she took my arm.

"Do you want to eat first?"

"You actually left food for others at the buffet?" She acted shock. I rolled my eyes and chuckled.

"Yes I did."

"Sure, I'm starved."

We ate with our friends and had a good time. At some point almost everyone was on the dance floor besides me and Lucy. We both sat there awkwardly. _Come on Natsu. Be a man. _I stood up and offered my hand. "D-Do you want to dance Luce?" Lucy looked up at me in…awe? She nodded shyly and took my hand. I led her to the dance floor. I placed a hand on her waist she put one of my shoulder and fingers intertwined with our free hands. We moved around and thankfully I didn't dance to terrible. The lights were dimmed and twinkly lights shined around us.

"Um, are you having fun?" She asked me.

"Yeah. Are you?"

"Yeah."

We stayed silent for a while and we twirled some more. We did it slowly though in case my extreme motion sickness came. I knew it wouldn't though. Dragon Slayers all had severe motion sickness except Wendy. She was the Sky Dragon Slayer and she could use healing magic. She had a spell that cured motion sickness so that's probably why it doesn't affect her. I can't use it often or I'll get immune. I had Wendy use it tonight though. I wanted this night to be special for Lucy. She deserved it. I looked down at her and she looked up at me. I gazed into her chocolate brown eyes.

Lucy

I was gazing into Natsu's eyes as we danced slowly. I felt so entranced that I barely noticed our faces were moving closer. My eyes widened when our realized our lips were about to touch. I turned away and removed my hands from him. I can't believe we almost kissed. I was happy yet…I felt uneasy. What would it mean to Natsu? Was he just doing it because he was caught up in the moment? Maybe he always asked me because we were both dateless.

"Are you okay Lucy?" I swore I saw disappointment in his eyes.

"Yeah…I'm fine. I need some air." I looked around and saw a balcony. "I'm going out there."

"I'll come with you." He followed me as I walked to the balcony. I stepped into the nice, cool, night. A light breeze was blowing and it rustled my hair. I placed my hands on the stone railing and looked up at the night sky.

"I'm sorry about almost kissing you…" Natsu said. I turned and looked at him. "The thing is Lucy, I really like you. Heck, I think I more than like you. I have for a long time. I meant to ask you to this stupid thing and I blew it. Although, with you pushing me away like that I can guess you don't feel the same."

I blinked. Natsu really liked me? My heart fluttered and did cartwheels in my chest. I walked up to him and grabbed his hands. "Natsu, I like you too. I realized it the day you sent that Sakura tree floating down the river outside of my apartment. I'm sorry I pulled away I just thought maybe you were caught up in the moment. I want to ask you to. I wore this dress to impress you too."

He grinned. "You don't have to impress me Luce. I love you just the way you are."

Natsu

Lucy's cheeks were dusted pink and it made me to so happy to finally hear that she felt the same way. All this time we had both liked one another and thought the other didn't feel the same way.

"So what now?"

"Kiss me you idiot." She grinned.

I chuckled and did just that. It's cheesy but when I kissed her I felt sparks. Honestly, there was no other girl out there for me. Lucy was the one for me. Her bright smiles always made my day. She always found a way to smile through the tears. She may not be physically strong but when it came to emotions and mental strength Lucy was the toughest. I wanted to make her happy until the day she died. We pulled away and both of our faces were pretty flushed. I grinned down at her.

"This means we're together, right? Cause I think I'll punch anyone who tries to get with you."

"Of course it does."

I took her hand in mine and our fingers intertwined. We walked back inside to a large chorus of cheers. I even heard some people say 'finally.' I scratched the back of my neck in embarrassment and I saw Lucy was as flustered as I was. We both walked back onto the dance floor and everyone calmed down on the cheering and joined us. That would be a night I will never forget.

* * *

_Thank you all for reading! Again, this was another assignment for school haha. Please review and favorite if you enjoyed it. Sorry if it's a bit rushed near the end I was hurrying to meet the deadline. _


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